Respecting the institutions set in place by those much wiser than ourselves. 

Our system of government is a Representative Democracy, also defined as a Democratic Republic. It is based on our constitution, which established that the government's powers are derived from its people. That power is established by the right of U.S. citizens to vote for individuals they choose to best represent their interests. And the fundamental cornerstone of a basic democracy is that those individuals are chosen according to who gets most votes by the people.

The founding fathers understood both human nature and the effect that power has on human nature. That is the reason they set up and established the three branches of government – Judicial, Legislative, and Executive – the system of checks and balances that prevents too much power from being placed in the hands of one group or an individual. Yes, they were well aware of the nature of man and the inevitable corruption that comes with the pursuit and acquisition of power.

Our founding fathers also knew that the heaviest concentration of population, the voting citizenry, would exist in cities and that older or larger states would have the most cities, and as a result, the most votes. So then in a brilliant display of foresight, they established the idea of the Electoral College, another extension of the idea of a Representative Republic. According to the Electoral College system, each state would be assigned a number of electoral votes. 

How is this number determined? 

Each state is granted one vote for each of their two US senators and one vote for each of its representatives elected to the US House of Representatives.

The number of representatives that each state has is determined by the population of that state. States with larger populations have more representatives in Congress than a state with a smaller population. The system that is the Electoral College was the result of a compromise between the more populous states and the more “rural” states reached by the Founding Fathers to ensure states with less voters would have a valid and legitimate say in the election of the President, preventing the larger cities being able to perpetually dominate the elections. 

And as I have stated in many of my seminars and lectures, I believe that there are actually two Americas that exist in the United States, “Rural America” and “Urban America,” and I also believe that one should never be allowed to dominate the other.

A prime example of this is taken from the state I used to live in, California, where “city folks” passed all kinds of legislation that negatively affected and gave hardship to the rural, “country folks” who lived outside the bubbles of San Francisco and Los Angeles. And it is part of the reason that over 6.9 million people have moved out of California in the last 10 years. Yes, some people have moved in, but not enough to prevent California from losing a seat in the US House of Representatives due to a decline in its population. That resulted in one less electoral college vote for California.

That’s right, 6.9 million Californians have packed up and moved elsewhere, and I might add much to the chagrin of many states where those 6.9 million Californians have relocated. 

On January 6th, the official date when all electoral votes are counted, certified, and ratified by the US Congress, the United States officially elects its next president. 

Then on January 20th, the inauguration and swearing in of the duly elected president takes place in Washington, D.C. 

And regarding this ceremony, we must all remember that this system – our system – was the first peaceful transition of state power ever established in the history of nations on this earth.

Up until the Founding Fathers of our fledgling nation bore this Representative Democracy into existence, national power was either handed down from a King or Queen to a firstborn child, (the succession of Monarchy), through a violent revolution, a Coup de tete, or an 

assassination of the outgoing ruler or head of state by a rival, seeking that coveted position of power.

Our Founding Fathers got it right.

We should always remember and give thanks to them for their wondrous wisdom and brilliant foresight. And never forget, no matter what side of the fence you live on, if you are ever displeased with any administration or voting majority's choice, you will get another chance in four years to cast your vote for your choice. That is the true joy of living in this great country and the great system of government devised by our Founders and certified by the supreme law of our United States in one of mankind's most perfect documents, the United States Constitution. 

We are getting ready once again to celebrate this peaceful transfer of power in our country, the most grand and wonderful nation in mankind's history, which became the inspiration for all the world's democracies, and you should do the same. We are, as we have always been, the “Grand Experiment” and the light that has brought freedom, liberty, and opportunity to countless millions across the globe. The light which shines deep into the darkest corners and recesses of oppression, tyranny, and despair still brings hope into the lives of those who can only dream, “If only we too could be like America.” 

God bless the United States of America 

Ernest Emerson.